Disposable syringe

ABSTRACT

A spray nozzle has spray openings at one end and a flange at its other end, and a bag has folded or pleated portions of its thin plastic wall at the mouth of the bag or around a hole in said wall which has a thickness of the order of from 0.00125 to 0.005 of an inch. Said pleated portions are secured to said flange with a liquid-tight connection by a clamping ring which is outside the bag, grips said pleated portions between itself and said flange and by said snap ring or screw action is quickly attachable to and detachable from said flange which is inside the bag, so that the syringe can be compactly packaged, easily assembled for use and discarded after one use.

United States Patent Zamarra 1 June 6, 1972 54] DISPOSABLE SYRINGE 2,859,891 11/1958 Carkin ..215 11 2 604 222 7/1952 Teague et a1. .215/11 A. invent Paul Zamam Lake Far 3,471,050 10/1969 Barr ..215/11 [22] Fil 1970 Primary Examiner-Charles F. Rosenbaum [2]] Appl. N0: 95,762 Assistant Examiner-J. Yasko Attorney-Harry B. Rook Related US. Application Data [62] Division Of Ser. No. 773,455, Nov. 5, 1968, Pat. NO. [57] BSIRACT A spray nozzle has spray openings at one end and a flange at its other end, and a bag has folded or pleated portions of its [52] U.S. C1 ..128/232, 128/247 thin la tic wall at the mouth of the bag or around a hole in [51] Int. Cl. ..A6lm 1/00 said wall which has a thickness f the Order ffr 100125 to [58] Fleld of Search ..128/232, 224, 239, 247, 251, 0 005 f an inch. Said pleated portions are secured to said 128/227 24; 215/1 1 flange with a liquid-tight connection by a clamping ring which is outside the bag, grips said pleated portions between itself [56] References cued and said flange and by said snap ring or screw action is quickly UNITED STATES PATENTS attachable to and detachable from said flange which is inside the bag, so that the syringe can be compactly packaged, easily 3,474,788 10/1969 Corbin et al. ..128/232 X assembled f use and discarded ft one use, 3,204,855 9/1965 Boynton et a] ..215/11 X 3,075,666 1/1963 Hofi'stein ..215/1 1 SClaims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUM 61972 3.667, 461

4 SHEET 1 or 2 INVENTOR. Paw? A. Z amarra A BY ATTORNEY Jim 5 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR.

Pom? A. Z a

BY M ATTORNEY DISPOSABLE SYRINGE This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 773,455, filed Nov. 5, 1968 now US. Pat. 3,589,362.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a disposable syringe of that type which includes a flexible-walled container for liquids, to which is connected a nozzle for directing the liquid from the container to, for example, a body orifice.

2. The Prior Art One known disposable syringe comprises a rubber bag having walls thicker than toy balloon stock and formed with a reduced opening with an elastic beaded edge, a tubular plug having a peripheral groove receiving said beaded edge, and a tubular nozzle having a connection with said plug consisting of interrupted threads.

US Pat. No. 3,144,866 shows a rectangular flat bag formed of polyethylene plastic and having in one wall a central circular opening in which is a plug having a flange inside said wall and a portion outside said wall which is screw-threaded and on which is screwed a nozzle which clamps the portion of the bag at the edge of said opening between said nozzle and said flange.

The constructions of the prior art devices leave much to be desired in that they are either too expensive or too difficult to assemble, do not lend themselves to easy and compact packaging, and require the making of special bags or containers for the liquid.

SUMMARY One object of the invention is to provide a disposable syringe which is inexpensive, easy to assemble, which can be readily and compactly packaged and which does not require the making of a special bag or container for the liquid.

The invention especially contemplates the use of a wellknown, ready-made commercial bag that is commonly used for wrapping or packaging various articles, particularly food products such as sandwiches, as the liquid container for the syringe.

The invention also provides a novel and improved construction and combination of such a bag and a plastic spray tube or nozzle, wherein the thin foldable and collapsible plastic walls of the bag can be gathered and pleated at the mouth of the bag and a liquid-tight connection can be made between said pleated portions and a flange on the spray tube by a clamping ring which is outside the bag and has means which grips the pleated portions between itself and coacting means on said flange which is inside the bag, by a snap spring or screw acnon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a complete understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a disposable syringe embodying the invention with portions of the bag broken away;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detached sectional view of the clamping ring shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the flanged end of the spray tube shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modification of the invention, and FIG. 6 is an exploded sectional view of the flanged end of the spray tube and the clamping ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, the reference character A designates the bag or liquid container of the syringe which is initially a flat rectangular bag having three sides closed and one side open to provide the mouth of the bag. The wall of the bag is formed of flexible, foldable and collapsible plastic material such as cellophane, Pliofilm" or other suitable sheet materials that are strong, will withstand folding, pleating or creasing without weakening and ordinarily are difficult to rupture or tear except by penetration by a sharp point.

Preferably the sheet material is of a thickness of the order of from 0.00125 to 0.005 of an inch.

The reference character C designates a spray tube or nozzle which is separably connected to the bag. The nozzle is formed of suitable preferably moldable plastic material and may be of any desirable shape. As shown, the tube is substantially a hollow shell which is closed at its tip end 1 and has the plurality of spray openings 2 formed in longitudinal recessed portions 3 of the walls of the tube as best shown in FIG. 2 At its other end the spray tube has a flange 9 which provides a shoulder 10 facing toward the closed tip of the tube. The flange also has between the end of the tube and said shoulder two oppositely facing circular beveled surfaces 11 and 12 which meet in a ridge 13. Cooperating with said flange for connecting the tube to the bag D is a clamping ring 14 which has a body 15 formed with a central opening 16 providing a clearance for the spray tube and the pleated portions D of the bag, and said body has a resilient perimetral skirt 17 formed with an inwardly projecting bead 18 which preferably comprises two circular two oppositely facing beveled surfaces 19 and 20 which meet in a ridge 18' the diameter of which is less than the diameter of the ridge 13 on the flange of the nozzle. In connecting the bag to the spray tube, the clamping ring is slid toward the tip end of the spray tube and the portions of the bag around its mouth are gathered and pleated around the flange 9 and pulled through the opening 16 in the ring. Then the ring is pushed downwardly so as to cause the bead 18 to snap over the flange and cause said pleated portions to be clamped between the beveled surfaces 11 and 20 of the tube flange and clamping ring respectively, and between the body 15 of the clamping ring and the shoulder 10 of the flange, as best shown in FIG. 2.

The beveled surface 19 on the ring slides over the beveled surface 12 on the tube flange as the ring is pushed over the flange so as to expand the perimetral skirt in such a way that the bead 18 of the skirt is firmly snapped to grip the pleated portions of the bag between the surface 20 of the bead and the surface 11 of the flange.

Obviously, the bag may be of any desired size having a mouth substantially larger in diameter than the flange and clamping ring.

The use of the syringe will be practically understood from the foregoing. The initially flat bag, the spray tube and the clamping ring can be easily, inexpensively and compactly packaged in the disassembled condition of the syringe. When it is desired to use the syringe the spray tube is connected to the bag as hereinbefore described, the desirable liquid being placed in the bag before attachment of the spray tube. The bag is expanded from its flat condition by the liquid therein and gentle squeezing of the ag will cause the liquid to be ejected through the spray opening 2. Thereafter the syringe can be thrown away and if desired the bag, after disconnection of the spray tube can be used as a container, for example for waste products.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another form of the syringe wherein the spray tube .I has a circular coaxial flange 36 which is disposed inside the bag and with which coacts a clamping ring 37 for separably connecting the bag to the tube. The gathered and pleated portions K of the bagK surround the flange 36 and are clamped between the flange and the clamping ring and between one end of the clamping ring and a shoulder 38 on the tube. The quick attachable and detachable connection of the clamping ring to the tube is shown as comprising a screw thread 40 on the ring which coacts with a screw thread 41 on the exterior surface of the flange, and manifestly interrupted threads or coacting cam projections on the flange and the ring could be used. Desirably a skirt 42 is provided on the tube to partially enclose and shield the clamping ring and the clamped pleated portions of the bag.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable syringe comprising a spray tube having spray openings at one end and an external flange at the other end, and a bag having flexible foldable and collapsible walls of a thickness of the order 0.00125 to 0.005 of an inch which form a mouth substantially larger in diameter than said flange, and a liquid-tight connection between said bag and said spray tube including said flange and a clamping ring outside said flange having coacting portions separably connecting the flange and clamping ring together and wherein the portions of said bag around said mouth are gathered and pleated over and in encircling relation to said flange, said flange is disposed inside the bag, and said pleated portions extend and are compressed and clamped between said coacting portions of said clamping ring and said flange.

2. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said coacting portions of said flange and said clamping ring comprise an exterior ridge on the flange and an interior ridge on the clamping ring adapted to engage said ridge on the flange and cause the pleated portions of the bag to be clamped between said ridges.

3. A disposable syringe, defined in claim 1 wherein said clamping ring has a resilient perimetral skirt formed with an inwardly projecting bead and yieldably snappable over and interlocking with sad flange with said pleated portions clamped between said flange and said ring.

4. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange has a shoulder facing toward the closed end of the tube, and said flange also has between the end of the tube and said shoulder two oppositely facing circular beveled surfaces which meet in a ridge, and said clamping ring has a body formed with a central opening having a diameter less than said t shoulder and providing a clearance for the spray tube and the pleated portions of the bag, and said body also has a resilient perimetrai skirt having an inwardly projecting bead which comprises two circular oppositely facing beveled surfaces which meet in a ridge the diameter of which is less than the diameter of the ridge on said flange of the nozzle, said bead on the clamping ring being adapted to snap over said flange and to cause the pleated portions of the bag to be clamped between said beveled surfaces of the flange and the clamping ring and between the body of the clamping ring and said shoulder of the flange.

5. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said portions of the bag around said mouth are gathered and pleated through and over and in encircling relation to said clamping ring into a position between said clamping ring and said flange, and said flange and said clamping ring have coactive threads for compressing and clamping said pleated portions between said flange and said ring and separably connecting said ring to said flange. 

1. A disposable syringe comprising a spray tube having spray openings at one end and an external flange at the other end, and a bag having flexible foldable and collapsible walls of a thickness of the order 0.00125 to 0.005 of an inch which form a mouth substantially larger in diameter than said flange, and a liquid-tight connection between said bag and said spray tube including said flange and a clamping ring outside said flange having coacting portions separably connecting the flange and clamping ring together and wherein the portions of said bag around said mouth are gathered and pleated over and in encircling relation to said flange, said flange is disposed inside the bag, and said pleated portions extend and are compressed and clamped between said coacting portions of said clamping ring and said flange.
 2. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said coacting portions of said flange and said clamping ring comprise an exterior ridge on the flange and an interior ridge on the clamping ring adapted to engage said ridge on the flange and cause the pleated portions of the bag to be clamped between said ridges.
 3. A disposable syringe, defined in claim 1 wherein said clamping ring has a resilient perimetral skirt formed with an inwardly projecting bead and yieldably snappable over and interlocking with sad flange with said pleated portions clamped between said flange and said ring.
 4. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange has a shoulder facing toward the closed end of the tube, and said flange also has between the end of the tube and said shoulder two oppositely facing circular beveled surfaces which meet in a ridge, and said clamping ring has a body formed with a central opening having a diameter less than said shoulder and providing a clearance for the spray tube and the pleated portions of the bag, and said body also has a resilient perimetral skirt having an inwardly projecting bead which comprises two circular oppositely facing beveled surfaces which meet in a ridge the diameter of which is less than the diameter of the ridge on said flange of the nozzle, said bead on the clamping ring being adapted to snap over said flange and to cause the pleated portions of the bag to be clamped between said beveled surfaces of the flange and the clamping ring and between the body of the clamping ring and said shoulder of the flange.
 5. A disposable syringe as defined in claim 1 wherein said portions of the bag around said mouth are gathered and pleated through and over and in encircling relation to said clamping ring into a position between said clamping ring and said flange, and said flange and said clamping ring have coactive threads for compressing and clamping said pleated portiOns between said flange and said ring and separably connecting said ring to said flange. 